News

Are you interested in presenting at the 2026 Self-Determination Conference?  We are seeking session proposals for Tuesday, October 20 & Wednesday, October 21, 2026.    

Click here to fill out the presenter form online. presenter portal.

This year’s theme: The Power of Self-Determination; Technology, Community and You will help people with disabilities lead more Self-Determined lives by offering tools to plan the life they want to live in the communities they choose!

Things to know when submitting a proposal:

  • Proposals must include a self-advocate(s) as a lead or co-presenter.
  • Panels should be limited to no more than 3 people. 
  • Conference sessions must support Self-Determination and Self-Directed principles.
  •  Sessions will be all in-person. Presenters must attend the conference
     in-person.
  • Presentations should focus on practical, take-home strategies that people can implement in their lives.
  • Sessions should not promote specific agencies or products. 
  • Repeat or similar sessions from previous conferences will not be considered.
  • Sessions will be 1.25 hours in length. Self-Advocate sessions will be 30 minutes in length.
  • A typical session has an audience of 50-75 attendees.

If your session is accepted:

  • Handouts: Presenters agree to submit the PowerPoint and other materials through the online portal by September 23, 2026. You are responsible for providing 50-75 copies of your materials for your in-person session. Please use plain language. 
  • Equipment: A screen, A/V cart, LCD projector, laptop, and microphone will be provided in each breakout room. Bring your presentation on a flash drive or use your own laptop. 
  • Presenters must register for the conference. Presenters must attend the conference in-person.

*By completing this form, presenters agree to turn in all materials and information by September 23, 2026. 

Submissions are due by noon on May 5, 2026.

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The Project Eugenics report by New Disabled South documents what it describes as a systemic and coordinated rollback of disability rights in the United States, framed through three strategies: dismantling legal protections and accessibility infrastructure, punishing disabled individuals through criminalization and benefit cuts, and dehumanizing them via eugenic-based misinformation. The report highlights specific federal actions, such as the elimination of DEI programs, significant staffing cuts to civil rights enforcement agencies, and the imposition of Medicaid work requirements, which collectively make disabled lives more precarious and surveilled. By tracing these policies across sectors like healthcare, education, and immigration, the authors argue that the current governing logic treats disability as a "burden" or "threat" rather than a lived reality deserving of dignity, effectively reviving historical regimes of exclusion and institutionalization.

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About 1 in 6 US children has a developmental disability. People with IDD face waitlists spanning years for home and community-based care, forcing them into institutional settings. The social model of disability states that disability arises from societal barriers, not individual deficits. Supported decision-making, where individuals with IDD make choices with guidance, leads to greater autonomy and satisfaction.

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Medicaid covers in-home care through baseline benefits, HCBS waivers, and Community First Choice programs. Family members can get paid through "self-directed," "consumer-directed," or "participant-directed care" where recipients act as employers hiring family members within state rules. The 2024 80/20 rule requires 80% of HCBS funds go directly to caregivers. The One Big Beautiful Bill (2025) cuts Medicaid spending $1 trillion over 10 years, threatening HCBS programs.

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Self-Determination Network News:

February 2026

Connect | Share |Learn | http://sdnetworkwi.org



Federal Fallout Update

Here are the recording and slides from the latest webinar that the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities puts on regarding the federal fallout.  Here are the topics discussed in this webinar:

  • Counting down to the end of the state legislative session. What’s moving, stalling, and being discussed.

  • Congress focused on impending shutdown of Dept of Homeland Security; House passes bill that would change what people need to do to be able to vote, changes to IDEA being considered. The ACA subsidies extension are no longer being discussed even as impacts of ACA subsidy expiration are starting to become clearer.

  • Policy changes the administration is making: agencies rescinding funding for certain states, how insurers are making coverage harder to use for people with pre-existing conditions, new appointments on autism panel, administrative rule changes target fair housing laws and ACA exchanges, claims of fraud being used as reason to cut programs, and more.

  • Continued coverage of impacts of HR1. 

We encourage you to continue to contact your legislators and let them know how these things will impact you and your family.     

Disability Advocacy Day 2026


Disability Advocacy Day is back in-person this year and registration is open! Join us in Madison on Thursday March 19th with other advocates from around the state and meet with your elected officials. This is a great opportunity to share your story and educate your legislators on disability rights! Registration is free but required to attend. Register by March 2nd.



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The Self-Determination Network includes some very talented members and we want to help you to get to know each other a little better. Member Spotlight is a great way for us to get to know each other better.
For this month, we're shining the Spotlight on Tanya. This music-loving auntie is just starting to get involved in disability advocacy. She’s looking forward to moving out and becoming more independent. Stop by this month's Member Spotlight to get to know Tanya.
Who should we shine the spotlight on next?


128 Stacy’s Journal









"What happens, though, when customized equipment people rely on to live their lives malfunctions? Most of the general population will never even have to think about that, but, for people who have to rely on durable medical equipment and assistive technology to literally be able to function, having a mobility device or other pieces of equipment stop working, can often be debilitating."

In this month's entry, Stacy talks about what happens when durable medical equipment or technology that people rely on malfunctions. She discusses how it's often more complicated than people realize. Do you have similar experiences?













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Check out the Latest Videos!

The Self-Determination Channel is a YouTube channel by and for people with developmental or intellectual disabilities. Unlike other channels, the Self-Determination Channel stands stand out from other channels on YouTube because self-advocates host the videos, and decide and create the content. Videos are posted a couple times a month on a variety of topics self-advocates care about such as technology, employment, caregivers, independent living, and advocacy.

Check out the newest videos on the channel:

We encourage you to subscribe to the Channel (you can do so by clicking the red Subscribe button on any of the video pages).



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Take five minutes to check out what's happening on the Self-Determination Network:

  • Who Are Family Caregivers?: The National Alliance for Caregiving's 2025 survey found 59 million Americans provide care to adult family members, a 40% increase over a decade. Learn about some of the statistics this study revealed.
  • Home Care in 2025:  The Kaiser Family Foundation surveyed Medicaid officials in the middle of last year and the results are interesting. Read about some of the facts this shows.
  • Comfortable Wisconsin Towns: From healthcare to transportation, these Wisconsin towns are some of the most comfortable for seniors. For out which towns made the list.
  • Ableism Research Study: The American Association of People with Disabilities is seeking input from people with disabilities and advocates to better understand how ableism shows up in everyday life and how it can be addressed. Learn more about this study and find out to participate.
  • Work Requirements: Work requirements for Medicaid are coming in 2027. Read about some of the exemptions coming out that broaden previous "serious and complex" language to give states more flexibility.
  • Immigration Changes Impact Long-Term Care: Wisconsin people who rely on personal care attendants are feeling the effects of the changes to immigration policies. Learn why.
  • Listen: The executive director of the National Council on Independent Living discusses the current threats to disability rights. Take a listen.
  • Older Americans Policy Recommendations: The Bipartisan Policy Center interviewed older adults through The People Say initiative to identify health care challenges. Find out what they recommended.
  • Mother Fights for Caregiver Rights: A mother in Cottage Grove is advocating for caregiver rights. Read about her efforts.
  • Autism Campus Inclusion Leadership Academy: Autism Campus Inclusion helps autistic students make their colleges better for people with disabilities. Applications due March 8th.
  • Future Planning Webinar Series: Join the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities for a 4-part webinar series on future planning for people with disabilities, family members, and professionals.
  • Watch: The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is expected to cut more than a trillion dollars in Medicaid and the the Children's Health Insurance Program by 2034. Watch this interview about what the cuts could mean for adults with disabilities.
  • Black Disability Activists: February is Black History month. Read about seven activists who advanced disability rights.
  • Airline Accessibility Reforms Indefinitely Stalled: The updated regulations from the Air Carrier Access Act in 2024 have been stalled. Find out what disability advocates are saying.
  • Self-Direction Study: Brandeis University is conducting a study to explore the experiences of self-direction for disabled people of color and their families. The purpose is to learn about the challenges, supports, and benefits of self-direction for people of color. Learn how to participate.

128 Upcoming Events 

Here's a sample of upcoming events listed on the Self-Determination Network:

Post your event on the Self-Determination Network and it can be included in future Network News emails to members! Questions? Suggestions?  Contact Stacy Ellingen. 

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The Self-Determination Network is powered by InControl Wisconsin and supported financially by our members and Sponsors. We couldn't keep this Network going with you!  Find out how you can help support the Network.

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The Self-Direction Center is happy to support Brandeis University in recruiting participants for a study on self-direction.

Brandeis University is conducting a study to explore the experiences of self-direction for disabled people of color and their families. The purpose is to learn about the challenges, supports, and benefits of self-direction for people of color.

We need help in finding a few more participants to be in the study.

Individuals who answer yes to the below may be eligible to participate in this study. 

  • Are you 18 years of age or older?
  • Are you a disabled person of color?
  • Do recruit, hire, train or supervise your direct care workers AND/OR 
  • Do you have control over a budget and decide how to spend the money on your services?


Here is a video that explains more about the study: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_MUYdizbOU

If you are interested or know of anyone that might be interested please email the study lead Teresa Nguyen teresanguyen@brandeis.edu. She can help answer questions about the study.


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The U.S. Department of Transportation updated regulations under the Air Carrier Access Act in late 2024 to improve air travel for passengers with disabilities after decades of persistent access problems and weak enforcement. Major airlines sued to block the rule, and the Trump administration’s Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy, has now indefinitely suspended enforcement of key provisions, including airline liability for damaged wheelchairs, mandatory disability training, passenger notification of rights, and reimbursement for flights that can’t accommodate mobility devices. Disability advocates argue that airlines have long failed to voluntarily ensure accessibility, despite receiving billions in taxpayer bailouts, leaving wheelchair users still waiting for safe and equal access to air travel.

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February is Black History month. The article highlights seven Black activists who advanced disability rights: Brad Lomax (Section 504 sit-ins organizer), Dennis Billups (Section 504 protest leader), Fannie Lou Hamer (voting rights activist), Willie Mae Goodman (fought institutionalization at Willowbrook), Louise B. Miller (challenged segregation of Deaf students), Donald Galloway (Berkeley Center for Independent Living), and Lois Curtis (lead plaintiff in Olmstead v. L.C., affirming the right to community living).

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According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act will slash more than a trillion dollars in federal spending from Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program by 2034. Judy Woodruff examines what those cuts could mean for home and community care providers who serve adults with special needs. It's part of her series, Disability Reframed.

Watch Segment

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Join  the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities for this 4-part webinar series on future planning for people with disabilities, family members, and professionals. The first two sessions will cover decision-making options including Supported Decision-Making (SDM), powers of attorney, and guardianships. The second two sessions will go over basic financial planning including special needs trusts, ABLE accounts, and other options that help protect benefits while saving and planning for the future.

All sessions will be held from 12-1 pm on the dates listed below. Registration is free and you will only need to register once as all sessions will use the same zoom link. You will receive an email with the zoom link and a reminder before each session.

Session Dates and Registration:

Session 1 (March 4): Supported Decision-Making and Alternatives to Guardianship
Session 2 (March 11): Lived Experience with Decision-Making: Young Adult Panel
Session 3 (March 25): Financial Planning for People with disabilities and Family Members
Session 4 (April 1): Understanding Work and Benefits

You can register by using the link below or clicking the button. You will receive an email with the zoom link which will be used for all four sessions.
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